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Sandiara-based manufacturing company Hercules has finalized the construction of an oil and tire recycling plant located at the Sandiara Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Senegal. The project transforms motor oil and tires into automotive lubricants and carbon black powder by using state-of-the-art technology. The company’s Sandiara facility houses three plants: a lubricant mixing unit with a capacity of three million tons per year; a plant transforming tires into carbon black powder; and an aluminum alloy plant with a capacity of 10,000 metric tons per year.
While the aluminum recycling products are wholly sold and shipped to Toyota, the tire and oil recovered goods are now marketed solely inside Senegal.
“We are cleaning the country,” stated Manoj Solanki, Founder of Hercules exclusively to Energy Capital & Power (ECP). Solanki’s decision to establish a recycling plant in Senegal was largely attributed to a niche in the market. “I noticed that freight had gotten too [expensive] before COVID, and Senegal didn’t have its own lubricant manufacturing industry. I saw the potential to establish one here and also supply neighboring countries,” explained Solanki.
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Senegal’s strategic position, stable governance, and efforts by the current Mayor of Sandiara, Serigne Gueye Diop to develop Senegal’s domestic market also influenced the decision.
“The purpose of the SEZ is to produce more innovative and sustainable Senegalese products to balance the trade deficit,” stated Major Diop in an inteview with ECP. “We are concentrating our efforts on heavy industry and the energy sector.”
However, Hercules’ ambitions extend beyond Senegal’s borders. The company hopes to establish Senegal as a base for exporting to neighboring countries. “We’re looking into lubricant sales to countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and The Gambia. In the coming years, we will open showrooms and expand our presence in the region,” said Solanki.
